I'm hoping for a white Thanksgiving. It doesn't necessarily look like that's going to happen, but I found myself glancing at the Weather Beacon tonight on my drive home. It was white. So...that thing doesn't really make the weather...does it?
It was fun to joke about that during my KFYR days. The TV station was in charge of changing the weather beacon to reflect the updated forecast throughout the broadcast day. On our program log in the control room, in between entries for commercials and programs, were occasional reminders to update the weather beacon. There was a panel in the weather room with six buttons on it: red, white, green, flashing red, flashing white, and flashing green.
The poor Beacon almost faded into history in 1997. It was showing its wear, and the cost of modernizing it was prohibitive. That was, however, until KFYR Radio rode to the rescue. Phil Parker and Mark Armstrong headed an effort to Save the Beacon!
At this time, Meyer Broadcasting was still intact. While I was hard at work on the TV side of the building, I also freelanced the website for KFYR-AM. As part of the campaign to save the Weather Beacon, we had a couple of pages on the website urging people to help donate.
You can click here to see the original Save the Beacon page from my archives.
The campaign was a success in that it raised money toward the Beacon's restoration, increased public awareness of its plight, and served as a rallying cry to its rescue. While the entire cost of the Beacon's renovation was not raised, its importance to the community was indisputably proven. Through a matching grant from local government and plenty of donations, the project was underway.
As part of the KFYR website, we were happy to post that the Beacon would be saved. Cliff Naylor did a report on the Beacon that aired as part of a live telecast from the roof of the Provident Building, atop which the Beacon still sits.
You can click here to see the post-campaign page from my archives and watch the video.
As I recall, and the details in my head are quite murky, the Beacon was restored but still had some gremlins. I believe it was then refitted one more time and has functioned ever since. None of it would have been possible without Phil and Mark. To this day, the controls reside with KFYR Radio instead of the television station. In fact, why don't you call the PH Phactor on KFYR 550 AM and ask Phil about it?
Oh yeah...the t-shirt. We had t-shirts made, and I still have mine. It has caricatures of Phil Parker and Mark Armstrong on the front, and a key to understanding the Beacon on the back:
Weather Beacon white as snow, down the temperature will go.
Weather Beacon red as fire, temperature is going higher.
Weather Beacon an emerald green, no change forseen.
When colors blink in agitation, there's going to be precipitation.
Provident Life used to sponsor TV spots featuring the Beacon and its rhymes. Since they're no longer doing business there, the ads don't run. That means that the weather beacon itself is somewhat obscure now, with newer Bismarck-Mandan residents unaware of its history. For those of us who have lived here a long time, it's good to see the weather beacon standing tall. No matter what the forecast, there's something great about seeing it red in the spring, green when things are just right, and white when Thanksgiving and Christmas approach. Thanks to everyone who helped keep it up and running!
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In this excellent and revealing article in the Star tribune, Katherine Kersten points out that most of the people really set against the UND Fighting Sioux nickname are non-Indian liberals, and that the Native Americans most subject to racism are the ones who don't object to the nickname. It's worth a read, as one of the best pieces I've seen so far on this subject.
One of the points I particularly like is that North Dakota uses a Native American figure on its Highway Patrol vehicles and state highway signs. As previously pointed out by others, including the president of UND himself, that little tidbit first appeared six months ago right here on the Bismarck-Mandan Blog. I'm glad we're all on the same page here.
Here's a brief excerpt, although I suggest you read the entire article:
Members of the Standing Rock judicial committee visited UND early in 2006 to assess the situation for themselves. "We spoke to everyone, from students on the street to people at the gas station," says Fool Bear. "Not one gave us any evidence of racism. We went to a hockey game, and they talked about the courage and integrity of the Sioux people. We looked at each other like, 'Wow, we don't even honor our Sioux warriors or veterans like this on the reservation.' "
White Mountain recalls the committee's meeting with a UND group that opposes the name. "I asked them, 'What tribe do you belong to?' " he says. "Not one was a Sioux Indian."This group insisted that the name promotes racism on campus," adds Fool Bear. "I told them, 'Put any instances of abuse in writing.' Today, I'm still waiting -- I haven't gotten one complaint."
If anything is "hostile and abusive" at UND, it's the way that some activists treat Indian students who take a different view.
"Our young people go there to get an education," says Fool Bear. "When they arrive, they're asked, 'What do you think of the logo?' If they have no problem with it, they are badgered and harassed for four years."
Let's not forget, as this article mentions, that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sent a delegation to UND in 1968 to formally grant the right to the Fighting Sioux nickname. I've seen historical photos of this event, even on local TV newscasts. Are the enemies of the nickname now going to ignore that it ever happened?
It would seem that UND has an airtight case from a common sense point of view. Liberalism, however, has forever defied common sense...so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Hopefully the "politically correct" movement won't win the day. They should quit interjecting themselves into situations like this, creating racism where there is none and punishing an institution that has arguably done more for Indian education than any other NCAA organization anywhere.
Huge thanks to my friend Shari G for the tip.
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Darn. Missed it by one letter. This sign was at Spa D'Athena, so it would have likely been quite profitable for it to read "Clint Appreciation Day." I guess I'm out of luck...and taking the E off the sign wouldn't get me anywhere, either!
This reminds me of a shelf of all sorts of assorted snack goodies at work. It's marked "Client Use Only" or something like that to make sure that those treats are set aside for clients who stop in. On certain afternoons I get quite tempted to head over to that shelf with a bottle of white-out and make it a "Clint Use Only" area!
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I was recently reminded that Double Ditch isn't really the greatest place to watch sunsets, due to the height of the trees across the river. This is at the little picnic table they put up at the end of the road, not up at the stone hut. Perhaps the vantage point is better up on the hill. While I was up there with friends recently, I looked over my shoulder to find this scene instead. The moon looked enormous as it crept over the horizon, the sky was colored from the sunset, and the two came together for a really cool picture.
One other factor that's caused me to abandon Double Ditch as a place for stargazing is the recent surge in houses being constructed on the Mandan side. There's just too much stray light. With the incredible pace of expansion northward on both sides of the river, I may find myself heading east or west when I want a clear patch of sky.
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Whenever I see a scene like this, I can't help but exclaim, "Oh, deer!" Nobody ever finds it funny, though. This was taken from the work van near the entrance to the Badlands National Park in southern South Dakota. In reference to the headline for this post, I need to clarify that we slowed down for this particular picture.
This one, however, was easily taken at 65mph. That's because Bear Butte is so enormous! It's a state park site and stands all by itself in the middle of the prairie. It can be seen from a long ways away, and stands out as if it were much taller. It's over 4,000 feet elevation, which I would guess is a little over 1,000 feet tall. At highway speed it's hard to make more specific estimations.
These were some wild clouds, almost forming a grid across the sky. My time in South Dakota involved temperatures in the sunny 70s, but the trip home was a cold, windy one. These clouds probably illustrate a pressure wave in the atmosphere as cold temps push their way southward. Thanks, Canada!
I grabbed a pile of tourism information for central and western South Dakota, and I plan to take my wife (and son, once he arrives) for a nice vacation through many of the areas I witnessed at highway speed this week. Sure, there's a lot of "tourist trap" stuff in the Black Hills, but it's pretty easy to see through that. Even in the middle of "nowhere" in rural states like the Dakotas, however, there are always breathtaking sights to see. Next time, when I'm not on a tight schedule, I'll be going a lot slower than 65 mph...with frequent stops.
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